Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Certain situations call for critical devices and/or deliveries to be transported to a scene of a situation where there is a need of aid. In such situations there is typically an urgency regarding the transportation of the devices and/or deliveries. Such devices and/or deliveries may comprise fixed-location hardware or may be located on an unmanned vehicle.
Fixed location hardware may include hardware or other items that are affixed to or kept at a particular location in or on a structure such as a building, sidewalk, street, vehicle, etc. The locations of such fixed-location hardware may be known and monitored by private or government entities, such as police, fire, school, or other institutions.
An unmanned vehicle, which may also be referred to as an autonomous vehicle, is a vehicle capable of travel without a physically-present human operator. An unmanned vehicle may operate in a remote-control mode, in an autonomous mode, or in a partially autonomous mode.
When an unmanned vehicle operates in a remote-control mode, a pilot or driver that is at a remote location can control the unmanned vehicle via commands that are sent to the unmanned vehicle via a wireless link. When the unmanned vehicle operates in autonomous mode, the unmanned vehicle typically moves based on pre-programmed navigation waypoints, dynamic automation systems, or a combination of these. Further, some unmanned vehicles can operate in both a remote-control mode and an autonomous mode, and in some instances may do so simultaneously.
Various types of unmanned vehicles exist for various different environments. For example, unmanned vehicles exist for operation in the air, on the ground, underwater, and in space. Unmanned vehicles also exist for hybrid operations in which multi-environment use is possible. Examples of hybrid unmanned vehicles include an amphibious craft that is capable of operation on land as well as on water or a floatplane that is capable of landing on water as well as on land.